Sir John Fenwick’s The Flower Amang Them A’ waltz

This is a well-known air in Northumbrian music circles, a moderately-paced listening piece. I don’t know whether its origins are in NE England or elsewhere; nor do I know who Sir John Fenwick was, though the name’s Northumbrian. It was recorded in the early years of the folk revival by The High Level Ranters and also Horslips; Kathryn Tickell and no doubt others have recorded it since. It’s a natural on the harp, and wouldn’t be out of place among Carolan’s tunes (there are one or two other Northumbrian airs that could just as easily have been Irish, by the sound of them).

The C in the first bar of the sheet music is meant to be high, not low.

Yes it’s a Northumbrian/Borders tune; see FC: http://www.ibiblio.org/fiddlers/SIR.htm#SIR_JOHN_FENWICK’S_(THE)_FLOWER_AMANG_THEM_ALL.

the Horslips played a version of this on their first album. it was one of the first tunes i thought myself on the whistle and still one of my faves but it goes more like this

X: 1
T: Flower Amoung Them All
M: 3/4
L: 1/8
R: waltz
K: Dmaj
| D2 DE FG | A2 AB d2 | A2 AB d2 | BA GF ED |
| E2 EF GA | B2 Bc d2 | B2 Bc d2 | B4 A2 |
| D2 DE FG | A2 AB d2 | A2 AB d2 | BA GF EF |
| G2 AG FE | F2 GF ED | E2 F2 A2 | B4 A2 :|
| d2 D2 d2 | d2 D2 d2 | d2 D2 d2 | BA GF ED |
| e2 E2 e2 | e2 E2 e2 | e2 E2 e2 | dc BA Bc |
| d2 D2 d2 | d2 D2 d2 | d2 D2 d2 | BA GF EF |
| G2 AG FE | F2 GF ED | E2 F2 A2 | B4 A2 :|

Sir John Fenwick was a Northumbrian Jacobite nobleman who lived for some of his life at Wallington Hall. Born around 1645, he was executed in 1697 for plotting against King William III.

Guitarist Paul Newman adds another anecdote about the history of the tune when he introduces it.

There were apparently words to go with this tune and people were executed for singing the song.

he was a Jacobite conspirator - member of parliament for Northumberland, supporter of James II and beheaded for conspiring against William and Mary…sometime in the last decade of the 17th century. Presumably related to the Fenwicks who created the regional department store of the same name. Nancy Kerr plays it…and one Kathryn Tickell - obviously 🙂 - oh I just saw Nicholas already got there ..1697 it is

A slight variation heard at session in Austin, TX.

Sir John Fenwick was the second commander of the Clare Dragoons, a regiment raised in Limerick by Daniel O’Brien, 3rd Viscount Clare, to support James II. It was supported by the French.